Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: Ripper on April 20, 2016, 09:37:29 AM
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It's been 3 years since my last spring bear thread so I figured it was time to start another. Luckily I was drawn for a tag or else this would be a very short thread. I hope this one isn't as long as the last because it went on for the whole season and I ended up with tag soup. This year is off to a good start with a much earlier and warmer spring, plus I get to hunt the East side. The Monroe or Skagit units are much closer but for me, nothing beats the NE corner for hunting. I love it over there and will probably retire there within the next 5 years. OK, back to the hunt. This next weekend is my first trip over for the year. My wife, Rippette, will be joining me for the weekend. We will be scouting out areas mostly, but you never know, yogi may cross our path. I have been in the area before but it's been a long time so I know things have changed a bit. We will be staying at Benny's in Colville then probably heading South to hunt. I bought my first ever Turkey tag so I hope to come home with something anyway. I have a gray Dodge crewcap with my Huntwa sticker in the back window that says Ripper so I don't get confused by all of the other gray trucks out there. If you see us, wave and flag us down. We can chat about life and swap Intel. If you want, you can PM me your phone # so we can keep in touch, swap Intel, or assist in pack outs. Good luck to all of you spring tag holders. If you drew Alladin, I spent a lot of time in there on my moose hunt last fall so I may be able to give some opinions on the area. Stay tuned, there is more to come..........
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Tagging
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Good luck Ripper, ill be tagging along. Im hoping to get over there 2nd week of may.
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Good luck! I will be over in the unit hunting in the middle of may. Excited for the opportunity!
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Well, it looks like I won't be making it this week after all. Supposed to rain all weekend anyway. Maybe next week. I will keep ya'll posted.
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tagging
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I'll be over there 26-28th. Green Silverado. I'm not sure if I'll be hunting the north or south portion of the unit yet. For me, I'm not too familiar with the unit so my trip over this time will mainly be recon/scouting and maybe I'll get lucky. Good luck!
I'd love a report on conditions if anyone knows...where is the snow level at?
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Heading there right now. Will keep you posted if anything exciting happens. Supposed to rain, but that's never stopped me or them from moving before. Good luck everyone else who's out today.
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Hope you find a nice one to hang your tag on. Good luck...and keep us posted!! :tup: :tup:
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Report for the day: weather was tough, lots of fog, then rained lol. Bugs were horrible! Don't remember them being this bad this early. Found some big wolf tracks. 3 sets running together. Did see 4 moose up high, and enough turkeys I could have filled 3 limits just driving! Came home early. Need to come up with a better plan. I went high and nothing moving. Still early I think. Will get new plan and hit it hard next week.
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Thanks for the report, I'm glad I didn't miss anything by not going this week. The weather looks like it will be better next weekend.
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There is at least one bear moving in 117. We have seen him a couple of times now. First sighting of the year for us.
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If you want predator control let us know haha
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If you give me the address , I can remove that trouble maker! :chuckle: I'll be heading over for the weekend, possibly alone. If anyone else is going over or living local that wouldn't mind helping with a packout, PM me your number. If anyone else wants a hand I will do the same. If you to meet up and swap Intel or have a cup of coffee, I'm up for that also.
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Hello All,
Heading up this Wednesday for a week with the horses. Wondering if anyone can report on snow levels and access for a horse trailer, plan on coming in from the north (Colville) and head south? Going to start at the North end and work south. Any suggestions for areas to camp with a horse trailer so as to avoid the Sh*t show that surely will happen if I get up to high. I've more than learned my lesson not to push it.
Will be in Black Duramax with a white 5th wheel horse trailer, if you in the area and see us, say hi and well have coffee on if were in camp. Supposed to be hot weather this week over there.
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Last I heard the snow level is around 4200'. I was supposed to go over this last weekend but my back hurt to bad to make the 6 hour drive. My wife and I are going over Friday afternoon for a couple of days of scouting\hunting. It'll be nice being able to sleep in, that's a luxury I don't get to experience very often.
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After a couple of false starts I finally made it over. My wife and I are here in Chewellah for the night and will will be hitting tomorrow. My back is still sore but sometimes you have to man up and do what you have too. So if we put the tag on one tomorrow I have a pack with my wife's name on it! :chuckle:
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Good luck Ripper. Rick
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Good luck! :tup:
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Tough hunting today, 84 degrees. I saw a few turkey and deer but nothing else. Maybe something will wander out before dark. I almost had my first turkey today, I had a nice Tom with about an 8" Beard at 50 yards. I was hoping to get within 35 for a shot with my 20 GA. Maybe tomorrow.
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Sounds like perfect weather just not quite the right out come. Lots of turkeys around just keep your eyes out for the little boogers.
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Was over last weekend and put 50 miles in the boots and 150 miles on the pickup on dirt roads and only saw one bear track and a couple piles of crap. Seems to be a little early still but the weather was perfect. Gonna try it again in a couple weeks.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Im really anxious for next weekend to come, I really want to get after it. It's a tough time at my house lately. As many of you know I've had arthritis for a long time. Well I saw a new rheumatologist at the Seattle Arthritis Clinic and she diagnosed it right off the bat and started me on Embrel. Within a few days I started feeling better then I got a nasty cough and turns out I have pneumonia. So I stop taking Embrel and start on Antibiotics. I had my heart Valve replaced in 2010 so I have to take these things seriously, I don't want an infection to attack the valve. Embrel lowers your immune system so your body stops attacking itself. That's why I had to stop taking it to get over pneumonia. Now my pain is back so I'm taking prednisone until I get better. In the mean time my mom has been back and forth with the heart drs. She is 85 and lives with my wife and I. Plus she has early to mid stage dementia. To top it all off, her cat got a kidney infection so back and forth to the vet. $900 later, the cat lives on. I'm exhausted but no time to feel sorry for myself, there is a bear out there that needs to be killed! I hope the weather is good next weekend, so far it looks decent. Happy hunting to all the tag holders out there.
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Best of luck to you ripper. Enjoy your time in the field and hopefully you can smack a good one :IBCOOL:
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Sounds like you to go relax. Any bear would be bonus.
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The weather forecast looks terrible for this coming weekend. I had planned on going over for 4 or5 days this weekend but I think I'll stay home and continue to recoup from pneumonia. I'm really anxious to get over there and get on with it, I looks like things are on full swing according to Bearpaw thread. I hope I don't miss out on this opportunity, I really want to fill this tag.
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Memorial weekend is when I hunt if I draw a spring tag, getting down to the wire for your springers now!
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Good luck Ripper!
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Sending good luck from CR .Sorry I wasn't able to go ,wishing you both : nice turkey and bear . :tup:
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The weather forecast looks terrible for this coming weekend. I had planned on going over for 4 or5 days this weekend but I think I'll stay home and continue to recoup from pneumonia. I'm really anxious to get over there and get on with it, I looks like things are on full swing according to Bearpaw thread. I hope I don't miss out on this opportunity, I really want to fill this tag.
Same story here..back to back weekends I cancelled due to weather. Planning on 6/1-6/3. Good luck!
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The weather man was off again for Memorial day Weekend but that's ok. I needed a few more days to get over Pneumonia. Now I'm feeling better and ready to go this weekend. Weatherman says it's supposed to be 95+, hopefully he is wrong again. Lol. That's ok, I'll adapt. My wife has to go out of town so I'll be traveling alone. If anyone is headed over and would like to join up that would be cool. I plan on calling a lot so it's always nice to have someone watch your back. Time is running out so let's get out and put a few more rugs on the floor.
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I hope I'm not jinxing myself, Lol, Everytime I think I'm off to hunt something comes up. It's been a rough spring for me so far but right now I am feeling good. My son's birthday party is Saturday so I plan on leaving early Sunday morning and hunting until the 15tth. We will see what happens. I've been wanting to hunt so bad, It's been driving me crazy. I need to get it done.
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Just get up ,gas up and go :chuckle: If I wasn't thousands of miles away I'd go with you .
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:yeah: I'm stuck out here floating around the Pacific ocean, only a 116 today :chuckle: Good luck on filling your tag!
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Pm sent if need any help packing this weekend
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Thanks a lot jasnt, I appreciate it. Seth, are going to make it back in time to hunt an u thing except waterfowl?
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I'm on my way to Colville I should be there in 6 hours I'll be hitting it hard tomorrow.
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Travel safe. Staying at Benny's also this weekend.
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Good luck ripper. I'll be up there the last two and a half days. Any last minute info is much appreciated. Was going to stay home and build a deck but wife is encouraging me to get out and get this done. Hopefully something is moving!
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GOOD LUCK :IBCOOL:
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Good luck buddy. Rick
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Bear down last night, story and pics to come. Thanks to jasnt for help, great guy.
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Bear down last night, story and pics to come. Thanks to jasnt for help, great guy.
my pleasure. Was great to meet you
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Good work! :tup:
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Awsome good going Jsnt. Rick
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Batteries are about dead and my phone charger broke. I'll be home on about 6 hours so It will be a while. I tried to post a pic pic but I need to resize.
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Alright, congrats.
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Congrats....Can't wait for the story and pics. :tup:
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Congrats ripper! Can't wait to see!
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Congrats :tup:
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Congrats Ripper. :yeah:
Saw 2 in the Douglas. Just not what I was looking for.
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Ok, sorry for the delay. Some of us have to work ya know.
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It looks like you're just posing in the dark :chuckle:
Good work filling the tag!
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That's a nice looking moose, or bear or maybe its a deer.
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Ok, so that was a tease. Lets get this story started. I hope I can make this as entertaining as some of our other writers in here. If you have been following from the beginning then you know I have had some hardships but it all came together this time. My sons birthday party was on Friday night so I didn't leave until Saturday afternoon. Time was running out with just 4 days left to hunt, so I put the peddle down. I checked into Benny's Coleville Inn at 10 pm and hit the sack asap. The alarm was set for 4 am and it got there quick. I got dressed and headed out the door by 4:30. It was already getting light so I filled up my thermos with coffee and hit the road. My plan was to hunt a local winter rec area since I got some intel that there was a lot of sign up there. Well for some reason I got distracted and went to see an area along the way that looked interesting on Google Earth. It turned out to be a mistake and I quickly made my way to area number 1. What a cool area it was, I will remember it for future use. Lot's of berry plants up there. if we get a good summer this area will feed a lot of animals. I put on a couple of miles looking the place over then headed to the other side of the hill. It didn't take long to figure out that there was a real problem bear or 2 working over the area. Tree's were in all phases of death from all of the peeling going on. It went on for a couple of miles, this is why they issue these tags.
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Oops, I posted 2 of the same pic, sorry about that. As you can see the area has been hit hard for years.
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They were staying in a consistent pattern of 10-15 yards below the road. I got out of the truck at the first sign of peeling and walked the road for a half a mile or so then went back and got the truck. I wasn't sure how my ankles would hold up so I didn't want to push it too much. I drove to where I turned around and set out for round 2. I quickly found a track in the mud which got my heart pounding since it had rained the night before.
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My ankles felt good so I walked all of the way to the end of the road. I sat down and drank some water, did some glassing then followed a trail into the timber. Lots of moose sign but no bear sign. I decided to head back to the truck, it was 1:30 in the afternoon and I wanted to check out another area across the main road that looked promising on Google Earth. I hadn't gone far when I heard some brush break up above me in the timber. I got off to the side of the road and took a knee. I pulled my fawn in distress call made by none other than Bearmanric of RR game calls. There's a plug for you Rick. :chuckle: I gave a couple of soft bleats and more crunching. Then a little more crunching. I gave 3 more soft bleats and out steps a..................young bull moose! Yes, that's right, you can call in bull moose with a fawn in distress call! We stared at each other for a while about 40 yards a part then I got out my phone and snapped a pic or 2, then he took off walking down the road. I put on my pack and followed him for a while but there is no way to keep up with them. I don't know how far he went before he bailed off but that was a super cool experience. Sorry for the poor quality cell phone pics.
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When I got back to my truck I decided to check out the area across the main road from where I was then maybe come back closer to dark. It was around 4:30 so I'd come back at 7 or so. I ate some lunch to refuel on my way over and got to the gate about 5:15. It was a nice walk in, nice and warm out, the only problem I could see is the wind was swirling bad. I kept going so I could really see the lay of the land, call it scout hunting. I really liked what I saw, there was a ton of semi open hillside to view across the canyon. This is the type of area that I would go to for any type of big game hunting. I was walking along glassing when I spotted 2 deer on the hillside. I decided to take a seat on a stump and take it all in. They were bucks, I could see some mass but they were to far away to count any points. I was watching them and scanning the hillside for bears when the deer suddenly stopped. they were looking ahead and slightly up hill then they turned and walked down into the tree's lining the creek at the bottom of the canyon. Not long after that I spotted a bear feeding up along the timber edge at the top of the canyon where the deer were looking. I couldn't see much, just it's back and occasionally it's head. Then directly across from me I see and color phase bear feeding. It was a beautiful cinnamon color. I pulled up my range finder but it was too far away. Mine only reads out to 440 yards. I decided that if it got within range I was going to take my first color phase bear.
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About that time a big blackie walked out and started feeding near the brownie. It quickly became apparent that this was a black boar and a brown sow. He was substantially bigger than her so I decided I would take him if he got within range. I tried to call a member on here to see if they could give me a hand. I got a lot of PM's from people that said to call if I needed help with a pack out. Reception was poor so we couldn't communicate. I texted to see if that would work, it did but they couldn't help. I did this 2 more times and finally Jasnt said if got one down he would be there to help. By now the 2 bears has fed to within 350 yards. They were making their way down to the creek I'm sure. I let them keep coming until the boar got to this little landing on an over grown road. 264 yards. I had the Thompson resting on my shooting stix, my breathing was calm, bear fever had come and gone 10 minutes ago, crosshairs were on the shoulders, breath, squeeze, BOOM, dropped and rolled. Dead bear!
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I sent Jasnt(Jasen) a text, bear down. That was quick came the reply. It was only a couple of minutes from my first text. Then I find out that Jasen lives an hour away! How cool is that, that he would drive an hour to help a stranger retrieve a bear and it's almost dark! Well I was going to go get to work on the bear but the sow rushed down to the boar at the shot. She sniffed around him and it looked like she was nudging him to get up or something. I just stayed put and watched her through the bino's. She moved off in to some trees and I couldn't see her but she never came out so I knew she was still there. Then she came out and went to him again. It looked like she was tugging on him, then she sat down and looked around. More sniffing, then she fed a little bit, then she went back. This went on for 45 minutes. Finally she started to move off. I got up and started to head that way, then I decided that Jasen would be there soon so I went to my truck and drove down to the road. within a couple of minutes he pulls up with his girlfriend. I showed him google maps on my tablet and we decided to drive to the next gate to hike in. About then I realized that when I stopped to take off my jacket, I set my gun down then left it! :yike: So we head back up to get it. There is more to come but I have to leave for a few.
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Congrats,
nice boar, and story :tup:
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Ok I'm in my van pool on the way home, let's see if I can wrap it up. After the gun retrieval we headed to the next gate, grabbed our packs and head lamps and headed in. It turned out to be a good decision because it was a lot shorter hike, a mile or less. We walked right to him and boy, what a butter ball. He wasn't very long, 5'2" but he was round and very well muscled. Beautiful hide, alot of brown mixed in with the black. Very heavy also, I'd say 250 easy. Jasen can chime in with his opinion. We did the gutless method on him and it worked out great. Jasen had done it alot so it went nice and smooth. Skin half, cut off the shoulders, back straps, rib meat, and hind quarters. Roll over and repeat. Jasen took the 4 quarters and I took the hide, backstraps and all of the trimmings. Back at the trucks I thanked Jasen and sent him home with a backstrap. It was the least I could do. I offered more but he was good with that. I can't say enough about how grateful I am for his help. I walk 6 1/2 miles, 1 with a 70 lb pack on. My ankles were a little sore but not bad. That's the best news of all. After 5+ years of ankle and other joint pain, I am finally on the right meds and not hurting. My muscles hurt a little but that I can live with. I will post some more pics when I get home. Thank you Jasen and thank you all for the tips and for reading this. It was a great Hunt even though It only a few days of actual hunting.
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I would say right at 250. Beautiful bear. Was a great night in the woods! I love bear hunting and it felt good just getting my hands and knees dirty, ticks and all. Thanks for having me along..... And the meat and salmon. 👍🏻
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A hearty congrats Ripper. Well done sir. And Jasnt, way to help out a stranger.
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Good job guys :hello:
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Great pics and story. Thanks for sharing!!
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Here are some more pics. The first one is Jasen. If you see this man, buy him a drink.
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:tup:
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Great pics ripper 😜
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Congrats! And thanks for the story! Gonna be any taxidermy work done with the bear?
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Looks like a calico cat as far as the color scheme.....pretty cool. Great bear and thanks for sharing.
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Congrats man, great story and great bear!
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:tup: good read and nice bear ! And yes Jason is a good guy we swap trapping tips on here hopefully I'll meet him at the rendezvous
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awesome story and bear! its cool to see how this forum can really pull people together in times of need
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Got my bear on the 14th! Not going to lie I wasn't able to find it until the next day due to a lightning storm and hail. She died quick after the shot which is what counts just wasn't able to find her until the next day, the long hiking days were worth it. I was still able to salvage all of it due to high elevation and a cold night thank God. Dry sow nice color and nice coat with no rub. Found her eating huckleberries. Big thanks to Ripper for some info on where to look. Made the 300 yard shot in some good wind to seal the deal. my guess weight is 250-300 lbs, not huge but a nice sow. Glad to fill my spring bear tag. On same day I saw 4 nice Whitetail bucks a cow elk, 2 cow moose some darn wolf tracks of course.
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And a picture of the masked face. What a great bear, I am very pleased.
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Congrats on an awesome bear! Glad it didn't go bad on you as well.
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:tup:
Nice work fellas!
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:tup: good read and nice bear ! And yes Jason is a good guy we swap trapping tips on here hopefully I'll meet him at the rendezvous
ill be there jakeland. Looking forward to it!
The way I look at it we are all family, if some one needs help and I'm able, I'm there.
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Got my bear on the 14th! Not going to lie I wasn't able to find it until the next day due to a lightning storm and hail. She died quick after the shot which is what counts just wasn't able to find her until the next day, the long hiking days were worth it. I was still able to salvage all of it due to high elevation and a cold night thank God. Dry sow nice color and nice coat with no rub. Found her eating huckleberries. Big thanks to Ripper for some info on where to look. Made the 300 yard shot in some good wind to seal the deal. my guess weight is 250-300 lbs, not huge but a nice sow. Glad to fill my spring bear tag. On same day I saw 4 nice Whitetail bucks a cow elk, 2 cow moose some darn wolf tracks of course.
beautiful bear neighbor.
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Awesome Job guys, Great thread!
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I love the facial coloration weather by, she is a beauty. I watched her and my bear for about 15 minutes before I took the boar. She hung around for a long after I put him down. Obviously she stayed there a little too long! Both bears have very cool coloration, I think we both lucked out with unique trophies.
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Congrats on the bear my friend ,I knew you are going to succeed . :tup:
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Hey Captain, good to hear from you. I wish you could have been there my friend. It was a fun and special day, one of the best of all of my hunting adventures. I just got my scull back from my 2013 bear. 17 7/8".
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Way to go Ripper! Nice write up and congrats on the beautiful bear!
